Detachable card for gyro turn units of automatic pilots



Dec. '28, 1943. R. HElNTZ 2,337,602

DETACHABLE CARD FOR GYRQ TURN UNITS OF AUTOMATIC PILOTS Filed 061;. 21.1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 i HHHHIHIllI|III\IllllllllHIHHlHll] 6 3' 0' 33 3oIN VEN TOR.

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A T TOENE X Dec. 28, 1943. R. M. HElNTZ DETACHABLE CARD FOR GYRO TURNUNITS OF AUTOMATIC PILOTS Filed Oct. 21 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENTOR. P44 PH M HE/NTZ.

A T TOE/V5)- Patented Dec. 28, 1943 DETACHABLE CARD FOR GYRO TURN UNITSOF AUTOMATIC PILOTS veland, Ohio, assignor to Bedford, Ohio, at corpora-Ralph M. Heintz, Cle

Jack & Heintz, Inc., tion of Ohio Application October 21, 1942, SerialNo. 462,810

1 Claim.

This invention relates in general to automatic pilot turn units and moreparticularly to improvements in the construction and assembly of theupper card thereof.

One of the primary objects of the invention is to so construct the uppercard with respect to the assembly that it may be readily detachablyinstalled after the remaining assembly is intact in order to obviate thepossibility and likelihood of damaging or destroying the card that oftenoccurs with the present day' conventional practice of securing the cardto the parts prior to assembly.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention resides inthe combination of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterset forth in the following specification and appended claims certainembodiments thereof being illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Figure 1 is a view in elevation of the assembly with the upper cardinstalled;

. card is fixed to the cut-ofi ring prior to assembly Figure 2 is abottom plan view of the gearv carrying the air pick-off unit, showingthe card attached thereto;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 illustrating the assemblyrelation of the parts shown in Figure 2;

gigure 4 is a view in perspective of the card: an

Figure 5 is a view in section taken along line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the directional gyro unitof the general character shown in Figures 6 and 'I of the U. S. patentto Sperry et al., #1,992,970, March 5, 1935, generally indicated at I,spins about a horizontal axis 2 and is mounted on pivots 3 in the gimbalframe l, the latter being provided with vertical trunnions such as 5.The lower card 6 is suitably releasably fixed to the gimbal in theconventional manner, the .gimbal also carryin the usual shroud, notshown, for the air pick-off.

The usual air valve gear I has aiiixed on its under side by screws 8, 9and III the usual air pick-oi! unit generally indicated at II in properrelation to its shroud.

As is well understood in the art, it is of utmost importance to insureproper alignment of the shroud carried by the gimbal and the airpick-oil carried by the air valve gear. The cards are of fragilematerial and the upper card, generally indicated at it is between thecut-oi! gear and and consequently interferes materially with the properalignment of the air pick-ofi and its shroud and attempts at assembly oradjustment of the same has often resulted in damage and destruction ofthe upper card necessitating rearssembly and replacement of parts.

To avoid this the improved upper card forming part of this invention isconstructed in the manner shown in Figure 4 in which the upper reducedportion l3 provided with a cut out portion It with adjacent apertures l5and IS in its upper lips and a recessed portion I! with adjacentapertures l8 and iii.

In Figure 2 the upper card is shown in assembled position with screws 20and 2| passing through apertures i5 and i6 and screws 22 and 23 passthrough apertures l8 and I9 to secure the upper card to the air pick-offand thus to the air valve gear to rotate therewith relatively to thelower card. By reason of the particular relationship of the assemblydescribed the installation and removal of the upper card may beaccomplished after the remaining assembly operation and withoutdisturbance thereof. In Figure 3 the upper card l2, i3 is shown inassembly relation with respect to the air valve gear and air pick-off,showing its relationship theretoin near position for slight movementinto alignment with the securing screws carried by the air pick-off andsubsequent attachment as shown in full lines of Figure 2.

I claim:

In combination in a turn unit for automatic pilots, a directional gyroassembly including a gyro pivoted in a gimbal frame mounted for verticalaxis rotation, -a lower card carried by said gimbal, an air cut-off gearand an air pickoff unit detachably secured to the under side of saidgear and arranged above said lower card, an upper card and complementaryattachment means thereon and on said pick-oil unit for detachablysecuring said upper card thereto, said upper card having a cut-outportion to permit sliding movement thereof between said pick-off unitand air cut-off gear into position for detachable attachment to saidunit after the installation of said gear in said turn unit.

RALPH M. HEINTZ.

